Morgan Wheatly

The Hedley Independent School District will hold the only contested local election in Donley County this spring, and five other governments will likely cancel their elections due to a lack of participation.

Six candidates – none of them incumbents – are vying for two open seats on the Hedley School Board. Those running are Michael Metcalf, Sr.; Dee Smith; Dana Bell; Mark Howard; Donnie Chambless; Connie Wheatly.

The top two vote-earners will take the seats currently held by Lana Ritchie and Bobby Lindsey.

Voters in the City of Clarendon will go to the polls to determine the fate of a $700,000 bond issue for street improvements, but they will not have any choices in who will represent them on the Board of Aldermen. Incumbents Will Thompson and Jesus Hernandez will be joined by Abby Patten as the only three candidates for three positions on the board.

The City of Howardwick only had one candidate apply for three positions on its Board of Aldermen, and no one signed up for the unexpired term of former mayor Del Essary.

Robert Brewster will be a new Howardwick alderman, and the city will have to appoint people to fill the other seats. The board will hold its next meeting on Thursday, March 15.

The Clarendon College District, the Donley County Hospital District, Clarendon ISD, and the City of Hedley only had their incumbents sign up with no challengers.

The hospital board met in called session Monday night to formally cancel its election, and the college, CISD, and City of Hedley are expected to follow suit.

Election Day for the City of Clarendon and the Hedley School Board will be Saturday, May 12.

Education funding, standardized testing, and water planning were among the top issues discussed by the candidates hoping to serve Donley County in the Texas House of Representatives at a local Republican forum last week.

Rep. Jim Landtroop of Plainview, former representative Gary Walker of Plains, Mac Smith of Pampa, and Ken King of Canadian each introduced themselves and stated their reasons for running for office before a crowd of sixty people at the Bairfield Activity Center Thursday night, February 23.

Mr. King took the floor first and said he was born and raised in Canadian where he is now involved in the oil and gas business and serves as president of both the Canadian school board and the Hemphill County Appraisal District board. He said he became interested in running for office after the last legislative session where it became apparent to him that most members of the Legislature do not understand school finance.

Mr. Smith was born and raised in Pampa and is also involved in the oil business. He said several neighbors encouraged him to run after Rep. Warren Chisum announced that he would not be seeking re-election. He said he felt like Texas needs people in the Legislature who know what it’s like to grow up in a small town and that his philosophy is that government should stay out of people’s way.

Rep. Landtroop is currently serving as a State Representative from Plainview, and Donley County is moving into his district when the new boundaries get final approval by the courts. He is a State Farm Insurance agent and says he understands making a payroll and living within a budget. He said he ran for office promising not to raise taxes, and he was named the fourth most conservative legislator in the last session. He pointed to a bill requiring voters to show photo identification and changes made to eminent domain as some of the items he was proud to have sponsored.

Mr. Walker lives in Plains and served four terms in the State House of Representatives, being first elected in 1994. He came to the Texas Panhandle in 1986 and served four years as the first manager of the Panhandle Groundwater Conservation District before taking a similar position in Yoakum County. He said water and agriculture are what he knows best and that public education is important. He also said he will not work much on “social issues.”

Water issues were the first topic brought up by the citizens in attendance. Mr. Walker said the state.

Potential candidates have until next Monday, March 5, to throw their hats in the ring for any of seven local boards scheduled to have elections this spring.

Those with openings include for the cities of Clarendon, Hedley, and Howardwick; Clarendon and Hedley schools; Clarendon College, and the Donley County Hospital District.

The Clarendon College District has all three of its incumbents running for reelection. Jerry Woodard, Delbert Robertson, and Doug Lowe are all seeking to serve another six-year term on the Board of Regents; and Tex Selvidge is running to continue to serve the remainder of the unexpired term belonging to the late Charles Deyhle, Sr. Four years are remaining on that term.

The Donley County Hospital District has four two-year terms expiring on its Board of Directors this year. Those seats are currently held by Jan Farris (Place 4), Jeannie Owens (Place 5), Mark C. White (Place 6), and Laurie Howard (Place 7), and all incumbents are running again.

The City of Clarendon has three two-year terms on the Board of Aldermen up for election this year. Incumbents are Ann Huey (serving the unexpired term of Kyle Davis), Jesus Hernandez (serving the unexpired term of Jeremy Powell), and Will Thompson. At press time, Hernandez and Thompson were the only candidates signed up.

The City of Howardwick has its ballot the one year unexpired term of former mayor Del Essary and three aldermen’s positions currently held by Tanis McMorries, Johnny Hubbard, and Tim Gallagher. Aldermen serve two years. So far the only candidate filed in Howardwick is Robert Brewster for alderman.

The City of Hedley has the two-year terms of Mayor Dusty Wilkinson and Aldermen Leon Ward and Lonnie Roby up for election this year.  Roby and Ward have signed up to run again.

Clarendon ISD has three positions on the ballot for its Board of Trustees this year, including two three-year terms currently held by Wayne Hardin and Wes Hatley and the one year unexpired term of the late Marvin Thompson, which is held now by Richard Gribble. All of the CISD incumbents are running for re-election.

Hedley ISD has two three-year terms on its Board of Trustees on this year’s ballot. Those seats are held by Lana Ritchie and Bobby Lindsey, filling the term originally held by Shelby Shipp. As of Tuesday, challengers Michael Metcalf, Sr., and Dee Smith had signed up for the election.

Election Day will be Saturday, May 12.